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Foundation Review Series: How to Glow with the YSL TOUCHE ÉCLAT Collection

Friday, September 21, 2012

Hello everyone! I am so excited about this
post that I am sharing with you all today – I received a couple of YSL products
recently (including their latest, much raved about YSL Le Teint TOUCHE ÉCLAT Foundation)
and am going to show you how you can get that Kim Kardashian (in case you haven’t
figured out, I am fully obsessed with her) contoured, glamorous glow.

The Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation was a
highly anticipated foundation because it was created from the YSL’s star
product with a huge cult following – the TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch
highlighting pen. My quick thoughts on the pen:

YSL: “A cult beauty product used by
celebrities and models, often copied but never equalled, TOUCHE ÉCLAT captures
the light, banishing signs of fatigue and fading out imperfections. In just one
click, this moisturising and ultra-fluid texture eliminates shadows and
embellishes the eye area, making you look rested and bright-eyed.”

Packaging

The TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch is packaged
in ‘pen’ form, with a click-to-dispense button at the very end of the pen. The pen feels heavy in that luxurious packaging kind of way, and the click mechanism is smooth and quite addictive. The amount that gets dispensed with each click is just right, though at times you will need to click a couple of times before you see any product.

Product

This is a liquid highlighter with no detectable shimmer. The liquid is very light and blends beautifully into the skin. It is very easy to move around the face and is quite moisturising. It dries down to a matte finish.

It is quite buildable, but I find that the best way to build coverage is to apply very thin layers, and to apply the following layer before the previous layer dries out. This way, you can avoid cakiness and stop the product from sinking into fine lines and pores.

Performance

YSL Le Teint TOUCHE ÉCLAT on the outer area of my face, Diorskin Nude on the inner area, YSL TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch applied under the eyes, on blemishes and pigmentation, on the brow bones, and on the T-zone to highlight.

As a highlighter: If you're one who hates the look of high-shimmer highlighters, you need to check this pen out. It really draws the light and creates beautiful contours and brings a brightness to your face. It is subtle, yet extremely effective, without having to utilise shimmer particles that reflect too much light and create too much of a 'party' look which isn't quite suitable for daytime.

To use: Just click the pen and apply the product underneath the eye area, down the bridge of the nose, onto the brow bones, and on any high points of the face (cheekbones, forehead and chin). Then, use a fluffy blending brush to blend and work the product into the skin. Follow with your regular foundation.

To fade signs of fatigue around the eyes: This is where this product really shines. It brings such light around the eyes and creates such a beautiful, open-eyed, fresh look. One thing to be careful of is caking underneath the eyes. When applied in a thin layer, this product does all it needs to do and performs beautifully, but if you use too much product and don't buff it in well enough, it ends up settling into any fine lines and starts to look thick and cakey.

To use: Apply the product to the undereye area, in the inner corners of the eyes, and into the very outer corners of the eyes with the dispenser brush. Then, use a fluffy blending brush to buff the product into the skin. Follow with an undereye concealer if you have very dark eye circles.

To conceal imperfections: First off, it is imperative to say that this product is not a replacement for a concealer! What it does is act as a complementary product to your concealer. You apply it underneath the concealer, and it reflects the light to create the illusion of a brighter area. I use it on sun damage and pimples, and when you layer a concealer over the top, it conceals the area very well.

To use: Use the brush to lightly dot the product onto the spot. Pat it into the skin with your finger. Follow with a concealer and repeat the patting motion to blend the products together and into the skin.

With the Touche Eclat foundation

The Le Teint TOUCHE ÉCLAT is a beautiful product. It has sheer to medium coverage, so you will still need a concealer with it. It is a medium to lightweight foundation, and one thing I didn't like is that it takes a lot of blending before you get even, perfect coverage.

The foundation has a gorgeous luminous finish, though I would definitely recommend using a pore primer with it if you have less than perfect skin, as its lightweight texture does nothing for bumps and holes on the skin. The finish is very much more dewy and luminous than the TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch (see swatches above), and my skin feels lovely and moisturised after. If you have very oily skin, then I wouldn't recommend this foundation.

In the picture above, I am only wearing it on the outer parts of my face because the shade I was sent is way too dark for my skin. I recommend that you go in store to get the perfect shade for you because this foundation excels on the inner parts of your face and on any high points. The foundation comes in three undertones - Beige (B) for neutral undertones, Beige Rosé (BR) for pink undertones, and Beige Doré (BR) for golden undertones. A great way to find out your undertones is to perform the tests that I detail in this post. Make sure you have the right undertone for your skin, because that can mean the difference between glowing and sallow skin!

YSL is running a promotion that allows each customer to head in store to experience the TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch and the Le Teint TOUCHE ÉCLAT, plus a free consultation to help you make the most of the products. To use this service, simply download and print this voucher, and take it to your nearest YSL counter. You also stand a chance to win both products. Head on over to the YSL VIP page to enter your details!